Guests who stayed at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in December had a unique opportunity to support conservation and create one-of-a-kind ornaments to celebrate the holidays.   Cultural representatives from Africa guided Guests of all ages in the activity, held in the Jambo House lobby each evening. The ornaments were decorated with glitter, beads and pieces of unfertilized egg shells from ostriches living at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Animal Kingdom Lodge. The egg shells were crushed and dyed an assortment of colors that Guests glued into animal-shaped, mosaic-like ornaments.   The activity raised more than $9,000 for the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF), an awards program which supports organizations around the w...  [more]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Disney's Animal Programs has contributed significantly to the propagation of species, the knowledge base about animals and the rescue of injured wildlife. Disney's Animal Programs oversees the health and well being of all animals at Walt Disney World Resort. Responsible for thousands of animals, including 33 endangered and threatened species, the team is committed to ensuring excellence in animal care and welfare through an integrated approach to animal care - where...  [more]

SILVER SPRING, Md., March 30, 2009 -- The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) today announced that The Seas was granted accreditation by AZA's independent Accreditation Commission. "The Seas has been awarded AZA accreditation because of its high standards in every aspect of its operations," said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. "Orlando should be proud to have one of the top facilities in North America as a valuable community asset and economic engine." To be accredited, The Seas underwe...  [more]

HOMOSASSA SPRINGS, Fla., Jan 30, 2009 -- A team of veterinarians and animal care experts from Disney's Animal Kingdom recently performed health assessments on two flocks of juvenile whooping cranes that migrated from Wisconsin to Central Florida.     The health assessments were performed after the 14 cranes completed a three-month, 1200-mile guided journey to their winter homes at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Homosassa Springs and St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge near T...  [more]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., Jan. 21, 2009 - Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge welcomed the birth of two Ruppell's Griffon Vultures earlier this month. They are the first hatchings of this threatened species at Walt Disney World Resort. Each chick weighed less than six ounces and was about eight inches long when hatched.   Over the past twenty years, the population of Ruppell's Griffon Vultures has been declining. This reduction led the International Union for Conservation of Nature to raise the statu...  [more]